The present invention relates to an all-weather golf club grip for use under wet or dry playing conditions.
Applicant has previously developed resilient grips which successfully reduce shock to the muscle and arm joints of the users of golf clubs, tennis racquets, racquet ball racquets, baseball bats and other impact imparting devices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,813 granted to applicant Aug. 25, 1998. Such earlier grips utilize a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer to define a strip which is spirally wrapped around the handle of a golf club, racquet or the like to conform to the external configuration or such handle. In certain of such grips the sides of the felt layer taper from the side edges of the strip and the polyurethane layer is formed with recessed reinforcement side edges which overlap to form a water retarding joint between the side edges of the strip as the strip is wrapped around the handle or over a resilient sleeve telescopically carried by the handle. A problem common to polyurethane-felt golf club grips is slippage of the grip when moisture accumulates thereon as from rainy or humid conditions. Such slippage results in diminished control of the golf club resulting in misdirected shots thereby reducing the enjoyment of the game to the golfer.
To reduce such slippage between a golf club grip and a golfer's hands there have been provided cord-type grips providing a roughened surface to the golfer's hands. Such cord-type grips however, feel stiff and uncomfortable to a golfer, particularly in dry weather conditions, although such grips afford reasonable slip-resistance between a golf club grip and a golfer's hands during wet playing conditions.